Soggy Tortilla

Sixteen days. Sixteen days until opening night for Mame! Last week proved to be quite restful, which is wonderful since the next two weeks will be full of work, rehearsals, and a splash of sleep deprivation. No rest for the wicked, I suppose. It’s all starting to come together, piece by piece.

I took advantage of the downtime this past week to rest, get stuff done around the house, but also to craft. The plying of my Amethyst project on my Hansen is now completed. I woolen spun a bit of fiber on Jigsaw, Schacht Matchless, and I managed to make a little progress on my Ephemeris Hat as well as my Lotus socks. Lastly, my test knitters are still diligently working on my latest design, and providing ample feedback (we’re on Rev 6 of the pattern currently).

Looking forward at what’s next in the design queue, I’ve found myself looking at socks. There is nothing quite like a good hand knit pair of socks, but what are the characteristics that make some sock patterns wonderful and others almost painful? For me, a good sock has about an inch to an inch and a half of ribbing (I typically use a twisted 1×1 rib). I prefer about 2-3 inches of leg before starting the heel in whichever fashion I choose. For the heel itself, I often use an Eye of Partridge heel flap because I like the texture. If I’m not using a heel flap, I’ll often do a short row heel or even the occasional afterthought heel. Once the heel is turned, I do the gusset decreases until I have anywhere from 2-4 stitches less per row than I did in the leg (typically I use 72 stitches for a sock for myself, so I decrease down to anywhere from 68-70). Experience and wear has taught me that I prefer a nice snug fit on the foot, instead of what feels like a soggy tortilla wrapped around my foot. To each their own, I suppose.

I’m hoping to find some time this week to make some more progress on my current projects. Rehearsal this Saturday runs all day, and will consist of a lot of hurry up and wait time… which is my favorite time to get some knitting done.